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August 2017

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Product piracy is becoming an ever greater problem worldwide and it is no longer just a question of copies of good designs. Fakes and copies of technical products call the safety of these products into question and, consequently, product liability claims are on the increase. The new technology detects counterfeits within moments. The DNA tex project has only just been presented and was met with an incredible amount if interest.

The damage resulting from copies and fake products worldwide is estimated to be between 200 and 300 billion euro. Most well known companies and coveted brands are affected. These companies invest enormous sums into the development of new products, engage the most creative minds and spend millions on brand identity. Over the years, an ever-increasing shadow economy of counterfeiting has grown up in their direct vicinity.

This not only damages the image and the brand, but in some cases, the products simply do not work, which can have dramatic consequences.

DNAtex protects from copies and fakes
During Outdoor in Friedrichshafen, the Swiss textile technology company Schoeller presented a new and special “Textile-DNA”. “We can now give a product a “unique ID”. Based on this unique feature, the product can later be clearly identified”, explains Hans U. Kohn, COO at Schoeller Technologies AG., The innovation is called DNAtex. According to current assessments, it is suitable for all stages and the entire spectrum of the textile production chain, including for chemicals, fibers, textiles and consumer products such as clothing or bags. Kohn continues: “In fact, every product worth protecting here at Outdoor can be considered for DNAtex”.

Discretion for years and clarity within seconds
Just how exactly this “unique ID” is made, when and how it is integrated into a product and who is interested in DNAtex – is top secret. “DNAtex is fake-proof and it is intended to be kept so”, says Hans U. Kohn. And how do you recognize a fake or copy of a textile effect, a fiber, a jacket, a shoe or a bag? DNAtex is clearly and quickly recognized by a small electronic scanner. “You scan the identified product with the detector. It looks for this “unique ID” and emits clear signals: “real” or “fake”. Counterfeits are detected immediately“. Checks of this kind can be carried out at customs, for example, so that counterfeit goods can't even get into circulation. According to Schoeller, DNAtex was originally developed to protect the company's own technologies.

“Then we realized that we might be looking at a small sensation”, continues Kohn. “It is not just about design or an idea that is copied”. Above all, product safety, and deriving from it, the topic of product liability, is of concern to companies today. Because when, for example, a fireman or a motor cyclist is not wearing the “safe, original technology” but rather a “non-functioning copy”, the results may be fatal. DNAtex has no influence on the color, the look, the feel or the functionality of the product. The desired effect, however, is the influence on the reduction in product piracy through this new technology.